The Tonton Macoutes: The Central Nervous System of Haiti’s Reign of Terror – COHA COHA 8369 10 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2F A Malediction on Haitian Society Few countries in the hemisphere have suffered through such an extensive run of unqualified repressive regimes and military dictatorships as Haiti. The nearly thirty years of harsh rule under François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, and his son, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier that ended in 1986, are likely the most infamous epoch in the painful history of this small French-Creole nation that occupies the western third of the Caribbean island of La Hispaniola. Certainly, the main tool for the maintenance of the regime’s grasp on the population through much of this period was the “Tonton Macoutes,” renamed in 1971 as the Milice de Voluntaires de la Sécurité Nationale —MVSN (Volunteers for National Security). Although this organization no longer formally exists, its legacy of paramilitary violence and sheer brutality still contorts Haitian modern political and economic cultures.

The Birth of Terror In 1959, only two years after becoming president, “Papa Doc” created a paramilitary force that would report only to him and would be fully empowered to use unremitting violence to maintain the new administration’s authority to summarily dispose of its enemies. This marked the birth of one of the most brutal paramilitary organizations in the hemisphere and was justified by the leader’s profound paranoia towards the threat posed by the regular armed forces. Haiti’s military began to steadily lose a great deal of authority with the consolidation of the François Duvalier regime, which it would not recover until 1986, when the pressure coming from senior military officers played a major role in the fall of Jean-Claude. A spate of coups followed, with military figures occupying the vacancy left by “Baby Doc.” The Haitians nicknamed this warlord-led goon squad the “Tonton Macoutes,” after the Creole translation of a common myth, about an “uncle” (Tonton) who kidnaps and punishes obstreperous kids by snaring them in a gunnysack (Macoute) and carrying them off to be consumed at breakfast.

Consequently, these torturers, kidnapers and extortionists were feared not only by children, but also by the country’s general population, as well as by opposition members and business men not willing to make enforced pay-offs to the authorities. The militia consisted mostly of illiterate fanatics that were converted into ruthless zombie-like gunmen. Their straw hats, blue denim shirts, dark glasses and machetes remain indelibly etched in the minds of millions of Haitians. Ever since its establishment, this brutal organization had free rein to act unreservedly, disregarding any ethical or civil rights of the citizenry that might interfere with its indiscriminate violence. They were not accountable to any state branch, court or elected body, but rather only to their leader, “Papa Doc.” The Second Most Feared Man in Haiti The dictator’s hold on power was guaranteed by the secret police’s terror campaign, and usually, the head of the “Macoutes,” was considered to be extremely close to the dictator. This was especially true under President François Duvalier.

Luckner Cambronne was a particularly fierce head of the “Tonton Macoutes” throughout the 1960’s and the beginning of the 1970’s, for two reasons: first, because he was considered perhaps the most powerful and influential man in Haiti during the transition from “Papa” to “Baby Doc,” and second, because of his unique brand of cruelty that enabled him to become very rich and earned him the nickname “Vampire of the Caribbean.” As a result of his close relationship with “Papa Doc,” Luckner climbed rapidly up Haiti’s power structure and he became the chief plotter of the extortions carried out by his henchmen. Later, he profited by supplying corpses and blood to universities and hospitals in the United States. His brutality was manifest whenever there was a shortage of what he considered raw material (corpses). In that case, he did not hesitate to kill innocent people to facilitate the growth of his “industry.” In 1971, following an altercation with the Duvalier family regarding his role in post-“Papa Doc” Haiti, Luckner fled to Miami.

Nevertheless, he remained an ardent supporter of the Haitian regime until his death in October of 2006. He stated once in the British newspaper The Independent that a “good Duvalierist is prepared to kill his children (for Duvalier) and expects his children to kill their parents for him.” This sentiment displays the rationale of the “Tonton Macoutes,” a goon squad, which was fiercely loyal to but one family and not in any way in the service of the nation or its people. Even though there are some MSVN leaders that were never formally identified in the recent history of Haiti, such as Roger Lafontant, they all are clear examples of the power that the organization and its leaders had and continue to possess to one degree or another, in contemporary Haiti. Mysticism and Reality A key characteristic of the structure of the MSVN was that some of the most important members of the “Tonton Macoutes” were vodou leaders, with this belief system currently practiced by roughly half of the country’s population.

This religious affiliation gave the “Macoutes” a sense of unearthly authority in the eyes of the public, which allowed them to perform horrific acts without any form of retribution from the Haitian population at large. What this means is that “the ‘Tontons Macoutes’ were part of a conscious strategy to identify spiritual forces and nationalism with loyalty to Duvalier, and to instill fear in [his] opponents.” From their methods to their choice of clothes, vodou always played an important role in their actions. However, despite the religious nature of vodou, the facts as well as the numbers speak for themselves. These merciless killers murdered over 60,000 Haitians and many more were forced to flee their homes. Consequently, Haiti suffered an unparalleled and crippling brain drain that robbed the small country of many of its most educated citizens. The militia created a sense of fear through continuous threats against the public as well as frequent random executions. The “Tonton Macoutes” often stoned and burned people alive, regularly following such rites by hanging bodies of their victims in the street as a warning to the population at large. The diversity of the victims was also a measure of the “Macoutes’” cruelty.

They could range from a woman in the poorest of neighborhoods who had the temerity to support an opposing politician, all the way to an accommodating foreign diplomat or even a business man who refused to “donate” money for public works (the public works being the pockets of corrupt officials and even the dictator himself). The Role of the U.S. For decades, the situation in Haiti kept deteriorating without any calls for international intervention. Although the United States was a preeminently active and interested participant in the development of Haiti’s political culture, it failed to speak out against such atrocities—not even during human rights-focused administrations such as Jimmy Carter’s—as a result of Cold War logic. Washington was certainly far more interested in supporting a pro-American tyrant whose purported task was to stop the spread of communism in the region, rather than protecting the Haitian people by supporting a healthy democracy and a responsible authority in Port-au-Prince. Butch Ashton, a business man who made his fortune during the Duvalier dictatorship by establishing corporations such as Citrus (a fruit exporter) and the Toyota dealership in the country’s capital, vehemently claims that the Tonton Macoute militia was trained by the U.S.

Marine Corps and that the highest levels of the American government were complicit in this arrangement. The U.S. has been an active supporter, albeit from the shadows, even years after the “Tonton Macoute” reign of violence officially was over. The Human Rights Watch reported on Haiti in 2004 and stated, “The United States, notably, showed little enthusiasm for the prosecution of past abuses. Indeed, it even impeded accountability by removing to the U.S. thousands of documents from military and paramilitary headquarters, allowing notorious abusers to flee Haiti, and repeatedly giving safe haven to paramilitary leaders.” The “Tonton Macoutes”: Legacy and Transformation The darkness of the “Tonton Macoutes” era may have seemed to subside upon the official dismemberment of the organization, which occurred after “Baby Doc” fled Haiti for France in 1986. However, massacres led by paramilitary groups spawned by the Macoutes continued during the following decade.

After 1991, when Aristide was illegally forced to leave the presidency, the vestiges of the MVSN became known as “attachés,” or savage groups of vigilantes attached to government security forces, or crooked political organizations which had the ability to use force against its foes. Consequently, a number of small paramilitary bodies were organized to work with these mafias as “stability” keepers. A good number of these new bodies were being formed by former “Macoutes.” Many of these militias remained nostalgic for the good old days of Duvalierism, with some even attempting to ignite their own reign of terror. The most feared paramilitary group during the 1990’s emerged as a political presence just as sadistic as the MVSN: the “Revolutionary Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti—FRAPH,” which Toronto Star’s crack journalist Linda Diebel described as modern-Macoutes and not as the political party they claimed to be. The reporter declared that the FRAPH, under goon figure Emmanuel Constant, was even worse than the Duvalierist militia because it was no longer subordinate to one absolute authority.

The FRAPH also cooperated with the regular army to persecute Aristide’s followers; this made them even more dangerous than the “Tonton Macoutes”, because in the old days the militia and the legal armed forces were more rivals than allies. This paramilitary group also extended its influence far outside La Hispaniola to diasporas throughout the world, “Fraph also had a presence abroad, with offices in New York, Miami, Montreal and other cities with large Haitian exile communities.” These ghosts from the past still torment Haitian and U.S. policy: last year a group of civic activists accused the Obama administration of turning a blind-eye to the criminal activity being practiced against Aristide backers and supporters of his Fanmi Lavalas party. The group that was trying to prevent the participation of Haiti’s most popular party in the 2010 elections through the use of indiscriminate violence and political pressure was led by a former paramilitary leader convicted in the U.S. for drug trafficking and money laundering, Guy Philippe. There a long history of paramilitary violence in Haiti that seems all but unstoppable, regardless of whatever government may be in charge.

As Professor Robert Maguire observed in 2002, “the unabated power struggle among the country’s politicians has been joined by a renewal of the kind of paramilitary violence that the vast majority of Haitians hoped had ended with the disbandment of the Haitian Armed Forces in 1995.” But there are some other issues that feed the existence of the paramilitary phenomenon: these factors include drug trafficking, rampant poverty, demoralized police forces, and the primacy of the interests of the elite. All of these factors explain why the remnants of the “Tonton Macoutes” are still a very important part of Haiti’s political and social heritage, even as they and their descendents continue to fragment into small groups with different interests, maintaining their penchant for violence and chaos. 10 Horrifying Secret Police Groups - Listverse 10 Horrifying Secret Police Groups Michael Van Duisen July 16, 2014 In order to maintain a semblance of order, police are often needed to protect civilians against criminals. But sometimes governments—especially those led by dictators—form secret police forces to root out resistance and carry out every paranoid whim of the country’s tyrannical leader.

Here are 10 of those secret police groups. 10Agentes In Rebus This group, whose name is Latin for “those involved in affairs,” was the successor to the utterly despised frumentarii, another ancient Roman police group. Early in their implementation during the third century A.D., they were merely couriers or informants for the emperor who wished to wash away the bad taste left in the public’s mouth by their predecessors. But, as their power grew, the agentes in rebus began to abuse it—under direct orders from the emperor. Constantius II famously used them in his plot to execute his half-cousin Gallus . Though not as violent as many of the other entries on this list, the agentes in rebus were feared for their unceasing presence and could be found in almost every corner of the empire. However, in the decades leading up to their disbanding, they were forcefully pushed toward their earlier duties as couriers by emperors who had become fearful of their growing power.

95th Constabulary Security Unit (CSU) A dangerous security force which flourished throughout the Philippines during the tyrannical reign of Ferdinand Marcos, the 5th CSU was mainly led by General Fidel Ramos , a man who would later turn against Marcos and be hailed as a hero during the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution which ousted Marcos. The group practiced widespread torture—especially the psychological variety—for years, with rumors that the “best” torturers were actually trained by the CIA . Keeping political prisoners awake for days was commonplace, as was the “salvaging” of nearly three-quarters of all the victims. “Salvaging” is a term which describes the torture and mutilation of a person before their corpse is dumped on the side of the road to psychologically terrorize the public. In the wake of mounting criticism of the practices of the 5th CSU, the group was renamed and its business was pushed underground. After the revolution, the whole program was disbanded.

8Central Office Of Banditry Repression (OCRB) Initially created to stem the tide of incessant looting in the Central African Republic after two different army mutinies in the late ’90s, the OCRB evolved into a secret police and intelligence force. They began conducting summary executions of anyone who was suspected of being a bandit, often without evidence. As time went on, less and less was needed to warrant a beating, with one corporal beating a man nearly to death because he looked at the corporal’s girlfriend. One of the most widely used forms of torture implemented by the OCRB was known as “le cafe.” It involved the prolonged beating of the victim’s feet with a baton or stick. The prisoner was then forced to walk a short distance, an incredibly painful task with their bruised and bloody feet. If they fell or walked too slowly, they were beaten some more. Numerous cases of unwarranted assaults, rapes, and murders have gone unpunished, all without a peep from the French officials who often work with security forces in the Central African Republic.

7Greek Military Police (ESA) Photo credit: Joanna Established in the early 1950s, the ESA didn’t become a feared organization until after the military junta took control of the country after a coup in 1967 . Known for their extensive and brutal torture tactics, they pioneered a style of training in which fresh-faced recruits were selected to violently abuse prisoners in order to get them acclimated to their new roles in the military. Given much broader powers by the new leader of the country, the ESA was eventually able to topple the military junta, leading to Turkey’s invasion of Greece. Dimitrios Ioannidis, the head of the ESA and one of the main members of the original junta, actually turned on his former allies because he thought they were too liberal. In fact, his interrogation headquarters had the following motto on the outside of the building: “ He who enters here exits friend or cripple .” Though the ESA rarely caused any deaths with their torture tactics, they were dangerously lax when it came to the healthcare of their prisoners.

One doctor, a Dimitri Kofas, was known as “the orange juice doctor” because he prescribed the drink to cure any ailment, even bloody urine which resulted from a patient’s torture. 6Jinyiwei Photo credit: Forever Wiser Originating sometime during the Ming Dynasty, possibly as early as the middle of the 13th century, the Jinyiwei started out as bodyguards for the emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang, the group’s founder, also wanted to ensure that his enemies would not take the throne from him . Disbanded a mere decade after their initial formation, the Jinyiwei were reestablished in the beginning of the 14th century when Zhu Di, a usurper, began to fear public retribution. He elevated the Jinyiwei to the highest status in the land, empowering them to go after anyone who threatened his rule. Translated as the “Embroidered-Uniform Guard,” the Jinyiwei was a massive group consisting of tens of thousands of operatives who interrogated and tortured suspected rebels or criminals. They were also the only ones allowed to go after nobles or members of the emperor’s family.

One particularly brutal case involved a trumped-up treason charge against General Lan Yu—the incident led to Yu’s execution as well as the execution of nearly 15,000 people said to have been involved. Most of those killed are believed to have just been disliked by the Jinyiwei. 5Santebal Although their name is a combination of two Cambodian words and a term which translates as “keeper of the peace,” this group was far from peaceful . Implemented by the notorious Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, the Santebal were most widely known for their administration of the brutal prison camp known as S-21, where tens of thousands of people were tortured and killed. Later in Pol Pot’s reign, the group eventually became an extermination squad, killing civilians wantonly for the smallest of perceived slights .

During the four-year reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge, the Santebal were extremely active under the leadership of Kang Kek Iew, more commonly known by the name “Comrade Duch.” A thoroughly detailed “investigator,” he kept so many documents detailing the actions of S-21 that he was unable to destroy most of them once it became obvious that the Khmer Rouge had fallen—though he did manage to stay long enough to make sure a few more prisoners were executed just before the Vietnamese arrived. In addition to the torture, evidence was found that the Santebal had also been involved in human experimentation, but the specifics are not known. 4National Security Service (NSS) Described on the show Community as having “1,900 miles of coastline, a government that knows its place, and all the guns and wives you can afford to buy ,” Somalia is perhaps best known now for its pirates. However, during a 20-year period starting in 1970, the country was home to a brutal secret police known as the NSS, which constantly tortured the “criminals” it apprehended.

The worst prison was in the capital of Mogadishu and was known as “The Hole,” a reputation it earned due to the impossibility of escape. Prisoners were subjected to a number of different tortures including something called the Mig, in which the victim was bent over, tied up, and brutally beaten. The organization has recently been reestablished as the NISA, and it is being funded in part by the CIA . Though not as violent as it once was, prisoners in an underground prison believed to be The Hole are subject to inhumane conditions, with many of them developing rashes because of their disgusting cells. A large percentage of the detainees were taken from nearby countries—such as Kenya—and imprisoned without a trial. 3Oprichniki Led by Ivan IV, one of history’s worst rulers, the oprichniki acted like a monastic order and dressed in long black robes adorned with a symbol of a dog’s head and a broomstick . Many of their “judgments” were indiscriminate and random, with the killers leaving tags on the victims’ corpses that detailed the supposed crimes. Described as “children of darkness . . .

hundreds and thousands of times worse than hangmen,” the oprichniki existed for about seven years, a reign of terror which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people—many of them innocent civilians. Perhaps their most damning action was that of the Massacre of Novgorod in 1570. Fearing a rebellion in the city (or an imagined secession), Ivan marched from the capital with his oprichniki in tow. Upon his arrival, the tsar’s men terrorized the city with mock trials, bloody torture, and horrible murders that went on for weeks. Thousands perished as a result of Ivan’s bloodthirsty tirade, diminishing the once-great city to basically nothing. 2Frumentarii Originally a group of grain (frumentum) suppliers for the military, the frumentarii eventually became a police group in the early second century thanks to their contacts throughout the empire. Watching over the military, the nobility, and anyone else they felt like, the group slowly became hated by the Roman public. Many people feared corruption in their ranks as well as the far-reaching authority which the frumentarii possessed.

As time went on, the frumentarii gradually abused their power more and more, often coming into a city, inventing false crimes, and then demanding bribes from the frightened public. They also performed political assassinations—often at the behest of the Roman nobility—as well as the systematic persecution of the early Christians . Eventually, due to constant public complaints, Diocletian disbanded the group. 1Tonton Macoutes The secret police of Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in Haiti, the Tonton Macoutes were given their name to instill fear in the public; “Tonton Macoute” (“Uncle Gunnysack”) is a bogeyman also known as “Sack Man” who kidnaps unruly or disrespectful children and throws them in a bag that he carries over his shoulder.

Organized to prevent dissent against Duvalier, they answered only to him and were granted unlimited power to deal with his “enemies.” For a number of years, the head of the Tonton Macoutes was Luckner Cambronne, a man so vile that he was given the nickname “Vampire of the Caribbean.” He quickly climbed the ladder of the group, profiting off the sale of corpses to the United States. He would even kill innocent civilians if he ran low on bodies. He was so loyal (as many of the Tonton Macoutes were) that he once stated that a “good Duvalierist is prepared to kill his children (for Duvalier) and expects his children to kill their parents for him.” Though technically disbanded, their years of constant surveillance, torture, and murder have left a lasting imprint on Haitian politics and society. More Great Lists WoW4Life's Life: The Tonton Macoutes The Tonton Macoutes About the NSV The Tonton Macoutes, also known as MVSN, or National Security Volunteers, were a Haitian secret police forcethat was created in 1959.

It was lead by Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier and the Macoutes were reporting directlyto him until his death in 1971. The army was disbanded in 1986 but some of the members turned into rebelsin 2000 because of the political turmoil.The name, Tonton Macoutes, was brought up from the Haitian Creole mythology. If you translate it word for word, itmeans "Uncle Gunnysack." A Gunny Sack is a bag made of burlap and is used to transport grains. Tonton Macoute wasthe name of a boogeyman (a folkloric word for a demon creature that goes from kids to kids house's and scares them.) In the Haitian mythology, the bogeyman walked in the dark streets at night, kidnapping children who stayed out too late and stuffed them into a gunnysack, never to return again. This is when the Tonton Macoutes were born. Anyone whoopposed Papa Doc would be taken in the night and no one would ever see them again.

The people were too afraid to talk about the MVSN so they adapted the name, Tonton Macoute, to reffer to them. About their leader Early Life Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier was born on the 15th of April in 1907 Port au Prince, Haiti. Unlike most Haitians, Francois had the privilege to an education, after which he studied in the University of Haiti, completing a degree in medicine. He worked in several hospitals in Haiti until 1943 when he joined the active campaign in the USA, to stop the spread of diseases many of which are common in Haiti. 1946 he became the Director of Public Health of Haiti. Following that in 1949 he served as both the Minister of Health and the Minister of Labor. After the coup d’etat of the government of Paul Magloire he was sent into exile until 1946 when he returned after an agreement. Presidency For the election of 1957, Duvalier ran against Louis Dejoie, an individual from the richer “whiter” part of Haiti which Duvalier used against him, telling people he had no concerns for the poor black population.

Duvalier won presidency but the army and many others believed the votes were rigged. After the attempted coup of 1958, Duvalier set up a small “group” called the National Security Volunteers, commonly known as the Tonton Macoutes or the Boogeymen. Since they were volunteers, they made their living from crime and theft against the people of Haiti. By 1961, this group had more power than he Haitian Army, loyal only to Duvalier; they tortured, terrorized, or murdered any who stood against Duvalier’s dictating regime. Ironic to the fact that throughout his early career, Duvalier was fixed on helping the people (or so it seemed), the Tonton Macoutes threatened the unauthorized social aid and community organization. By 1961 the world knew of Haiti’s governments’ corruption and the US cut off all economic assistance in order to press Haiti into becoming more democratic. Adversely, Duvalier rewrites the constitution to his liking, and then posed a one-candidate election showing off its corruptness, when Duvalier won 1.3 million to none.

By 1964, Duvalier declares himself President for life and like monarchy; it would be passed on to his son in 1971. With the Tonton Macoutes imposing, the strict Duvalier regime on the people killing anyone in their way, a serious drain of qualified professionals begins, hurting the country horrendously, as hundreds of doctors, lawyers, and teachers leave the country. Tonton Macoutes Among the 30,000 killed by Duvalier’s secret army, and many more sent into exile, this case is purely sick. In 1959, Duvalier suffered from a heart attack. During his heart attack he was unconscious for 9 hours. Many believe this is the reason for his behavior in the future as it could have affected his mental health. While recovering Duvalier left the power in the hands of the leader of the Tonton Macoutes, Clement Barbot. After recovery, Duvalier accused Barbot of trying to overthrow him as President and had him imprisoned. In 1963 he released Barbot from prison. Barbot devised a plan to remove Duvalier from power by capturing his children.

Duvalier ordered a search for Barbot. An example of one of his irrational acts, Duvalier had heard that Barbot had transformed his self into a black dog. This led him having all black dogs in Haiti put to death. The last heard of Barbot was when he was shot dead by the Tonton Macoutes in July, 1963. Bibliography- Haiti and the tonton macoute - YouTube Haiti and the tonton macoute Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jan 17, 2008 A brief history of tyranny in Haiti under the rule of the secret police known as the "tonton macoute".

Category Haiti's Police Leader to Die : Convicted of Murder, Torture for Duvaliers - latimes YOU ARE HERE: LAT Home → Collections Haiti's Police Leader to Die : Convicted of Murder, Torture for Duvaliers July 16, 1986 |From Times Wire Services PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Luc Desyr, head of late President Francois (Papa Doc) Duvalier's secret police, was found guilty of murder and torture today and sentenced to death. The sentence was announced at 4:20 a.m. at the end of an 18-hour trial at the Palais of Justice that was carried live on television. The 12-man jury found Desyr, 61, who also served under deposed President Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) Duvalier, guilty without extenuating circumstances of illegal arrest, jailing, torture and murder. The court of assize immediately sentenced Desyr to death. Execution in Haiti is generally by shooting. During the trial, the court heard that during the 28 years they ruled Haiti, the Duvaliers used the dreaded secret police, called the Tonton Macoutes, to torture and intimidate opponents.

Flight Prevented Desyr was jailed Feb. 25, after an angry mob at Port-au-Prince's international airport stopped him from leaving the country three weeks after Jean-Claude Duvalier fled to exile in France. Desyr was a close ally of the elder Duvalier and remained as chief of the secret police until 1980, when the son removed him for opposing his marriage to Michele Bennett, a divorcee. A Protestant in this predominantly Roman Catholic country, Desyr habitually dressed in a black suit and hat and peppered his speeches with quotations from the Bible. "I never gave orders to kill anyone," Desyr told the court as spectators jeered. "I am a Christian, and I only spread goodness around me." More than 60,000 Haitians are estimated to have been killed during the Duvalier regime, and thousands more were forced to leave.

MORE: 10 Horrifying Secret Police Groups [Pic] - i am bored 10 Horrifying Secret Police Groups [Pic] Submitted by: ElectricEye ⚫ 1 year ago Misc 20 Instead, sometimes governments especially those led by dictators form secret police forces to root out resistance and carry out every paranoid whim of the country"s tyrannical leader. Here are 10 of those secret police groups. Agentes In Rebus This group, whose name is Latin for those involved in affairs, was the successor to the utterly despisedfrumentarii, another ancient Roman police group. Early in their implementation during the third century A.D., they were merely couriers or informants for the emperor who wished to wash away the bad taste left in the publics mouth by their predecessors. But, as their power grew, the agentes in rebus began to abuse it under direct orders from the emperor. Constantius II famously used them in his plot to execute his half-cousin Gallus. Though not as violent as many of the other entries on this list, the agentes in rebus were feared for their unceasing presence and could be found in almost every corner of the empire.

However, in the decades leading up to their disbanding, they were forcefully pushed toward their earlier duties as couriers by emperors who had become fearful of their growing power. 5th Constabulary Security Unit (CSU) A dangerous security force which flourished throughout the Philippines during the tyrannical reign of Ferdinand Marcos, the 5th CSU was mainly led byGeneral Fidel Ramos, a man who would later turn against Marcos and be hailed as a hero during the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution which ousted Marcos. The group practiced widespread torture especially the psychological variety for years, with rumors that the best torturers were actually trained by the CIA. Keeping political prisoners awake for days was commonplace, as was the salvaging of nearly three-quarters of all the victims. Salvaging is a term which describes the torture and mutilation of a person before their corpse is dumped on the side of the road to psychologically terrorize the public. In the wake of mounting criticism of the practices of the 5th CSU, the group was renamed and its business was pushed underground. After the revolution, the whole program was disbanded.

Central Office Of Banditry Repression (OCRB) Initially created to stem the tide of incessant looting in the Central African Republic after two different army mutinies in the late 90s, the OCRB evolved into a secret police and intelligence force. They began conducting summary executions of anyone who was suspected of being a bandit, often without evidence. As time went on, less and less was needed to warrant a beating, with one corporal beating a man nearly to death because he looked at the corporals girlfriend. One of the most widely used forms of torture implemented by the OCRB was known as le cafe. It involved the prolonged beating of the victims feet with a baton or stick. The prisoner was then forced to walk a short distance, an incredibly painful task with their bruised and bloody feet. If they fell or walked too slowly, they were beaten some more. Numerous cases of unwarranted assaults, rapes, and murders have gone unpunished, all without a peep fromthe French officialswho often work with security forces in the Central African Republic.

Greek Military Police (ESA) Established in the early 1950s, the ESA didnt become a feared organization until after the military junta took control of the country aftera coup in 1967. Known for their extensive and brutal torture tactics, they pioneered a style of training in which fresh-faced recruits were selected to violently abuse prisoners in order to get them acclimated to their new roles in the military. Given much broader powers by the new leader of the country, the ESA was eventually able to topple the military junta, leading to Turkeys invasion of Greece. Dimitrios Ioannidis, the head of the ESA and one of the main members of the original junta, actually turned on his former allies because he thought they were too liberal. In fact, his interrogation headquarters had the following motto on the outside of the building: He who enters here exits friend or cripple. Though the ESA rarely caused any deaths with their torture tactics, they were dangerously lax when it came to the healthcare of their prisoners. One doctor, a Dimitri Kofas, was known as the orange juice doctor because he prescribed the drink to cure any ailment, even bloody urine which resulted from a patients torture.

Jinyiwei Originating sometime during the Ming Dynasty, possibly as early as the middle of the 13th century, the Jinyiwei started out as bodyguards for the emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang, the groups founder, also wanted to ensure that his enemies would not take the throne from him. Disbanded a mere decade after their initial formation, the Jinyiwei were reestablished in the beginning of the 14th century when Zhu Di, a usurper, began to fear public retribution. He elevated the Jinyiwei to the highest status in the land, empowering them to go after anyone who threatened his rule. Translated as the Embroidered-Uniform Guard, the Jinyiwei was a massive group consisting of tens of thousands of operatives who interrogated and tortured suspected rebels or criminals. They were also the only ones allowed to go after nobles or members of the emperors family. One particularly brutal case involved a trumped-up treason charge against General Lan Yuthe incident led to Yus execution as well as the execution of nearly 15,000 people said to have been involved. Most of those killed are believed to have just been disliked by the Jinyiwei.

Santebal Although their name is a combination of two Cambodian words and a term which translates as keeper of the peace, this group wasfar from peaceful. Implemented by the notorious Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, the Santebal were most widely known for their administration of the brutal prison camp known as S-21, where tens of thousands of people were tortured and killed. Later in Pol Pots reign, the group eventually became an extermination squad, killing civilians wantonly for the smallest of perceived slights. During the four-year reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge, the Santebal were extremely active under the leadership of Kang Kek Iew, more commonly known by the name Comrade Duch. A thoroughly detailed investigator, he kept so many documents detailing the actions of S-21 that he was unable to destroy most of them once it became obvious that the Khmer Rouge had fallen though he did manage to stay long enough to make sure a few more prisoners were executed just before the Vietnamese arrived. In addition to the torture, evidence was found that the Santebal had also been involved in human experimentation, but the specifics are not known.

National Security Service (NSS) Described on the showCommunityas having 1,900 miles of coastline, a government that knows its place, and all the guns and wives youcan afford to buy, Somalia is perhaps best known now for its pirates. However, during a 20-year period starting in 1970, the country was home to a brutal secret police known as the NSS, which constantly tortured the criminals it apprehended. The worst prison was in the capital of Mogadishu and was known as The Hole, a reputation it earned due to the impossibility of escape. Prisoners were subjected to a number of different tortures including something called the Mig, in which the victim was bent over, tied up, and brutally beaten. The organization has recently been reestablished as the NISA, and it is being funded in part by the CIA. Though not as violent as it once was, prisoners in an underground prison believed to be The Hole are subject to inhumane conditions, with many of them developing rashes because of their disgusting cells. A large percentage of the detainees were taken from nearby countriessuch as Kenyaand imprisoned without a trial.

Oprichniki Led by Ivan IV, one of historys worst rulers, theoprichnikiacted like a monastic order and dressed in long black robes adorned with a symbol ofa dogs head and a broomstick. Many of their judgments were indiscriminate and random, with the killers leaving tags on the victims corpses that detailed the supposed crimes. Described as children of darkness...hundreds and thousands of times worse than hangmen, the oprichniki existed for about seven years, a reign of terror which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people many of them innocent civilians. Perhaps their most damning action was that of the Massacre of Novgorodin 1570. Fearing a rebellion in the city (or an imagined secession), Ivan marched from the capital with his oprichniki in tow. Upon his arrival, the tsars men terrorized the city with mock trials, bloody torture, and horrible murders that went on for weeks. Thousands perished as a result of Ivans bloodthirsty tirade, diminishing the once-great city to basically nothing.

Frumentarii Originally a group of grain (frumentum) suppliers for the military, thefrumentariieventually became a police group in theearly second centurythanks to their contacts throughout the empire. Watching over the military, the nobility, and anyone else they felt like, the group slowly became hated by the Roman public. Many people feared corruption in their ranks as well as the far-reaching authority which the frumentarii possessed. As time went on, the frumentarii gradually abused their power more and more, often coming into a city, inventing false crimes, and then demanding bribes from the frightened public. They also performed political assassinations often at the behest of the Roman nobility as well as the systematic persecution of the early Christians. Eventually, due to constant public complaints, Diocletian disbanded the group. Tonton Macoutes The secret police of Jean Claude Baby Doc Duvalier in Haiti, the Tonton Macoutes were given their name to instill fear in the public; Tonton Macoute (Uncle Gunnysack) is a bogeyman also known as Sack Man who kidnaps unruly or disrespectful children andthrows them in a bagthat he carries over his shoulder.

Organized to prevent dissent against Duvalier, they answered only to him and were granted unlimited power to deal with his enemies. For a number of years, the head of the Tonton Macoutes was Luckner Cambronne, a man so vile that he was given the nickname Vampire of the Caribbean. He quickly climbed the ladder of the group, profiting off the sale of corpses to the United States. He would even kill innocent civilians if he ran low on bodies. He was so loyal (as many of the Tonton Macoutes were) that he once stated that a good Duvalierist is prepared to kill his children (for Duvalier) and expects his children to kill their parents for him. Though technically disbanded, their years of constant surveillance, torture, and murder have left a lasting imprint on Haitian politics and society. In order to maintain a semblance of order, police are often needed to protect civilians against criminals. Tonton Macoute - Wikipedia, Photos and Videos Tonton Macoute NEXT GO TO RESULTS [51 .. 100] WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources .

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2014) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) The Tonton Macoute ( Haitian Creole : Tonton Makout) [1] [2] [3] or simply as the Macoute [4] [5] was a special operations unit within the Haitian paramilitary force created in 1959 by dictator François "Papa Doc" Duvalier . In 1970 the militia was renamed the Milice de Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale (Militia of National Security Volunteers or MVSN, perhaps named after the homonymous Italian Fascist paramilitary organisation ). [6] Haitians named this force after the Haitian Creole mythological bogeyman Tonton Macoute ("Uncle Gunnysack"), who kidnaps and punishes unruly children by snaring them in a gunny sack (French: macoute) and carrying them off to be consumed at breakfast. [7] [8] Contents 6 External links Reign of terror[ edit ] Papa Doc Duvalier created the Tontons Macoutes because he perceived the military to be a threat to his power.

After the July 1958 Haitian coup d'état attempt against President François Duvalier , he disbanded the army and all law enforcement agencies in Haiti and executed numerous officers.[ citation needed ] He created a paramilitary force in 1959, Milice de Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale (Militia of National Security Volunteers or MVSN), two years after he became president, that answered only to him. He perceived a threat to his regime from the regular armed forces. Duvalier authorized the Tontons Macoutes to commit systematic violence and human rights abuses to suppress political opposition. They were responsible for unknown numbers of murders and rapes in Haiti . Political opponents often disappeared overnight, or were sometimes attacked in broad daylight. Tontons Macoutes stoned and burned people alive. Many times they put the corpses of their victims on display, often hung in trees for everyone to see and take as warnings against opposition. Family members who tried to remove the bodies for proper burial often disappeared themselves. Anyone who challenged the MVSN risked assassination. Their unrestrained state terrorism was accompanied by corruption, extortion and personal aggrandizement among the leadership.

The victims of Tontons Macoutes could range from a woman in the poorest of neighborhoods who had previously supported an opposing politician to a businessman who refused to comply with extortion threats (ostensibly as donations for public works, but which were in fact the source of profit for corrupt officials and even President Duvalier). The Tontons Macoutes murdered between 30,000 and 60,000 Haitians. [9] Luckner Cambronne led the Tonton Macoute throughout the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. His cruelty earned him the nickname "Vampire of the Caribbean". He profited by extortion carried out by his followers. In 1971, President Duvalier died and his widow Simone , and son Baby Doc Duvalier ordered Cambronne into exile. Cambronne moved to Miami, Florida where he lived until his death in 2006. [10] Some of the most important members of the Tonton Macoute were Vodou leaders. This religious affiliation gave the Macoutes a kind of unearthly authority in the eyes of the public.

From their methods to their choice of clothes, Vodou always played an important role in their actions. The Tontons Macoutes wore straw hats, blue denim shirts and dark glasses, and were armed with machetes and guns. Both their allusions to the supernatural and their physical presentations were used with the intention of instilling fear and respect. [7] [11] [12] The Tontons Macoutes were a ubiquitous presence at the polls in the 1961 election , in which Duvalier's official vote count was an "outrageous" and fraudulent 1,320,748 to 0, electing him to another term. [13] They appeared in force again at polls in 1964, when Duvalier held a rigged referendum that declared him President for Life .[ citation needed ] Legacy[ edit ] The Tontons Macoutes remained active even after the presidency of "Papa Doc" Duvalier's son Baby Doc Duvalier ended in 1986. [12] Massacres led by paramilitary groups spawned from the Macoutes continued during the following decade.

The most feared paramilitary group during the 1990s was the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haïti (FRAPH), which Toronto Star journalist Linda Diebel described as modern Tontons Macoutes, and not the legitimate political party they claimed to be. [6] Representation in other media[ edit ] The Comedians [14] (1966) is about the struggle of a former hotel owner against the Tonton Macoute. Tonton Macoutes: The Central Nervous System of Haiti’s Reign of Terror – Repeating Islands Tonton Macoutes: The Central Nervous System of Haiti’s Reign of Terror David Aponte, a research associate for the Council for Hemispheric Affairs, today released a report on the Tonton Macoutes, François Duvalier’s infamous personal militia. Here are some excerpts from the report, with a link to the full text below. Few countries in the hemisphere have suffered through such an extensive run of unqualified repressive regimes and military dictatorships as Haiti.

The nearly thirty years of harsh rule under François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, and his son, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier that ended in 1986, are likely the most infamous epoch in the painful history of this small French-Creole nation that occupies the western third of the Caribbean island of La Hispaniola. Certainly, the main tool for the maintenance of the regime’s grasp on the population through much of this period was the “Tonton Macoutes,” renamed in 1971 as the Milice de Voluntaires de la Sécurité Nationale —MVSN (Volunteers for National Security). Although this organization no longer formally exists, its legacy of paramilitary violence and sheer brutality still contorts Haitian modern political and economic cultures. The Birth of Terror In 1959, only two years after becoming president, “Papa Doc” created a paramilitary force that would report only to him and would be fully empowered to use unremitting violence to maintain the new administration’s authority to summarily dispose of its enemies. . . .

The Haitians nicknamed this warlord-led goon squad the “Tonton Macoutes,” after the Creole translation of a common myth, about an “uncle” (Tonton) who kidnaps and punishes obstreperous kids by snaring them in a gunnysack (Macoute) and carrying them off to be consumed at breakfast. . . . The militia consisted mostly of illiterate fanatics that were converted into ruthless zombie-like gunmen. Their straw hats, blue denim shirts, dark glasses and machetes remain indelibly etched in the minds of millions of Haitians. Ever since its establishment, this brutal organization had free rein to act unreservedly, disregarding any ethical or civil rights of the citizenry that might interfere with its indiscriminate violence. They were not accountable to any state branch, court or elected body, but rather only to their leader, “Papa Doc.” The Second Most Feared Man in Haiti The dictator’s hold on power was guaranteed by the secret police’s terror campaign, and usually, the head of the “Macoutes,” was considered to be extremely close to the dictator. . . .

Luckner Cambronne was a particularly fierce head of the “Tonton Macoutes” throughout the 1960’s and the beginning of the 1970’s, for two reasons: first, because he was considered perhaps the most powerful and influential man in Haiti during the transition from “Papa” to “Baby Doc,” and second, because of his unique brand of cruelty that enabled him to become very rich and earned him the nickname “Vampire of the Caribbean.” . . . Luckner climbed rapidly up Haiti’s power structure and he became the chief plotter of the extortions carried out by his henchmen. Later, he profited by supplying corpses and blood to universities and hospitals in the United States. His brutality was manifest whenever there was a shortage of what he considered raw material (corpses). In that case, he did not hesitate to kill innocent people to facilitate the growth of his “industry.” . . . He stated once in the British newspaper The Independent that a “good Duvalierist is prepared to kill his children (for Duvalier) and expects his children to kill their parents for him.” . . .

The militia created a sense of fear through continuous threats against the public as well as frequent random executions. The “Tonton Macoutes” often stoned and burned people alive, regularly following such rites by hanging bodies of their victims in the street as a warning to the population at large. The diversity of the victims was also a measure of the “Macoutes’” cruelty. They could range from a woman in the poorest of neighborhoods who had the temerity to support an opposing politician, all the way to an accommodating foreign diplomat or even a business man who refused to “donate” money for public works (the public works being the pockets of corrupt officials and even the dictator himself). The Role of the U.S. For decades, the situation in Haiti kept deteriorating without any calls for international intervention. Although the United States was a preeminently active and interested participant in the development of Haiti’s political culture, it failed to speak out against such atrocities—not even during human rights-focused administrations such as Jimmy Carter’s—as a result of Cold War logic.

Washington was certainly far more interested in supporting a pro-American tyrant whose purported task was to stop the spread of communism in the region, rather than protecting the Haitian people by supporting a healthy democracy and a responsible authority in Port-au-Prince. Butch Ashton, a business man who made his fortune during the Duvalier dictatorship by establishing corporations such as Citrus (a fruit exporter) and the Toyota dealership in the country’s capital, vehemently claims that the Tonton Macoute militia was trained by the U.S. Marine Corps and that the highest levels of the American government were complicit in this arrangement. The U.S. has been an active supporter, albeit from the shadows, even years after the “Tonton Macoute” reign of violence officially was over. The Human Rights Watch reported on Haiti in 2004 and stated, “The United States, notably, showed little enthusiasm for the prosecution of past abuses. Indeed, it even impeded accountability by removing to the U.S. thousands of documents from military and paramilitary headquarters, allowing notorious abusers to flee Haiti, and repeatedly giving safe haven to paramilitary leaders.” The “Tonton Macoutes”: Legacy and Transformation . . .

After 1991, when Aristide was illegally forced to leave the presidency, the vestiges of the MVSN became known as “attachés,” or savage groups of vigilantes attached to government security forces, or crooked political organizations which had the ability to use force against its foes. Consequently, a number of small paramilitary bodies were organized to work with these mafias as “stability” keepers. A good number of these new bodies were being formed by former “Macoutes.” Many of these militias remained nostalgic for the good old days of Duvalierism, with some even attempting to ignite their own reign of terror. The most feared paramilitary group during the 1990’s emerged as a political presence just as sadistic as the MVSN: the “Revolutionary Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti—FRAPH,” which Toronto Star’s crack journalist Linda Diebel described as modern-Macoutes and not as the political party they claimed to be. . . . These ghosts from the past still torment Haitian and U.S.

policy: last year a group of civic activists accused the Obama administration of turning a blind-eye to the criminal activity being practiced against Aristide backers and supporters of his Fanmi Lavalas party. The group that was trying to prevent the participation of Haiti’s most popular party in the 2010 elections through the use of indiscriminate violence and political pressure was led by a former paramilitary leader convicted in the U.S. for drug trafficking and money laundering, Guy Philippe. There a long history of paramilitary violence in Haiti that seems all but unstoppable, regardless of whatever government may be in charge. As Professor Robert Maguire observed in 2002, “the unabated power struggle among the country’s politicians has been joined by a renewal of the kind of paramilitary violence that the vast majority of Haitians hoped had ended with the disbandment of the Haitian Armed Forces in 1995.” . . . For more go to Image: The painting above, titled “Tonton Macoute” (1989), is by painter Burton Chenet.

Chenet, who trained at Le Centre d’Art in Port au Prince and at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, has a wonderful series of political paintings called “Turbulent Years,” which you can see, together with a sampling of other work, at #img/turbulent years/6.jpg Share this:

Question: In which country were the Ton Ton Macout secret police active
Answer: Haiti